Thoughts on life, books, and everything in between...

I've been MIA for awhile now for a few reasons.  My computer is once again with Best Buy so I only have my iphone as my internet access and I can't post to vox from it.  I am at the public library right now attempting to catch up on the internet world.  I've also been super busy with graduation and moving.  I promise to post about graduation and the move to Florida as soon as I can.

PS - I got an A on my Books and the Good Life paper!  This is my very first A in law school so I am very happy with it.

Well, it's not my last trip to the airport ever and it won't even be my last trip picking up Ben I'm sure, but it is the last time that I have to pick him up for a visit because in a little over a week we will finally be living together again :)  He's here this weekend for my graduation and to help me pack up our apartment.  He flies back on Tuesday and then I am driving down with my dad next Saturday.  It's crazy to think that we will actually be together for real soon.  All in all, I think we handled the year apart very well.  We couldn't afford to see each other very often, but we talked everyday and kept busy with other things.  And now it'll be like we're newlyweds again. :)  I found out that I actually enjoy living by myself, but I enjoy living with Ben even more and I am glad our year is over.

And now I must leave to meet him at the airport for the last time...

My list is a little sad this month.  I did, however, manage to finish Snow Flower with about an hour left in the month so it could've been worse.  I also really enjoyed both of these so I guess that should count for something.  I don't believe that I purchased any books this month.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

Lisa See

The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing

Melissa Banks

I did it.  I have completed my last law school assignment ever.  I had my last exam this morning and I just finished my last paper.  Three long (and short at the same time) years and I am finally here.  I am beyond thrilled.

A lot of you mentioned that you were interested in using cruelty-free products.  I am very new to the idea, but I would like to make the switch.  I can understand (although I'm not necessarily condoning) animal testing to cure cancer, but do we really need to harm or kill animals to make sure our mascara doesn't clump?  Many companies claim that their products are not tested on animals but this could mean that (a) the final product is not tested on animals but the ingredients that went into it were or (b) they don't test on animals but the company that owns them does.  It takes a lot more work and a lot more research, but it is possible to find cruelty-free products.  Here are a few links to help:

The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics list of companies that do not test on animals.

PETA also provides a list of companies at their site devoted to cruelty-free shopping.  The site also provides a list of companies that do test on animals.

This blog follows one girl as she attempts to live cruelty-free.  It documents her switch and gives lots of good advice about which products to use and how to find them.  She also provides a few different lists that might be more accessible than the bigger lists above.

Hope this helps.  I think an environmentally friendly products post might soon follow (and there tends to be overlap between those companies that produce cruelty-free products and those that produce environmentally friendly products).

EDIT: I think one good piece of advice is to stay away from Procter & Gamble products.  This is hard because they own everything, but it's an easy way to check.

I have recently made a lot of changes in my lifestyle.  I've changed my diet - cutting back on meat (see previous post), eating more organic and healthier foods.  I'm attempting to change my consumption behavior to be more environmentally friendly.  I'd also like to switch to more cruelty-free products.  Maybe those will get their own posts someday, but the purpose of this one is to see what you all think about what looks like my newest adventure: giving up television.  Ben and I have been looking for ways to save money and this is what he came up with.  We currently spend about $80/month (just in Florida, I haven't actually been paying for my tv up here).  That includes the HD channels and the DVR.  But we are thinking about getting rid of it all - at least for the summer.  On top of saving money, it would be really good for us.  I tend to just put the tv on and watch for no reason.  It would probably be great for me this summer while I'm studying for the bar.  And it would encourage us to read more which is always a good thing.  We would probably join netflix or blockbuster online again so that we could have some sort of entertainment.  I wasn't sure at first, but I think I could do it.  I think the only thing I will really miss is The Daily Show.  We can't start this until the NHL playoffs are over since Ben HAS to watch them (Go Wings!).  And we may have to get it again once college football season starts although I could just go to the bar every Saturday to watch the Michigan games (which they will most likely be losing anyway this season).

So...it's just in the idea stage right now.  Any comments?  Have any of you given up television?

I've been tagged by a few people for this so here you go:

The rules:

1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment on their blog and tell them they’ve been tagged, and to come back and read your blog for the whole story.

My Random Eight:
1. I recently decided to stop eating beef and pork (and all other mammals I supposed).  I would like to be a vegetarian someday but I'm not there yet.
2. Despite my relative success in school, I have a really hard time focusing on studying and I'm pretty sure I have ADD.
3. Curtis Granderson is my Tiger.
4. I always need to have music or the tv or some sort of background noise.  I don't handle silence well.
5. I drive a 1997 Ford Aerostar (thanks to my wonderful grandmother-in-law).
6. I love ice cream.  I eat it practically everyday.  I've decided that it is just part of the baseline of my diet and that it doesn't count as something I shouldn't be eating.
7. I tend to get obsessed with 90s teen dramas (Party of Five, 90210, My So-Called Life, etc).
8. I am very excited to live with Ben and Gatsby again in a couple weeks.  It's been quite some time since the whole family has been together.  Sorry, this one is less random.

And since I don't feel like trying to figure out who hasn't been tagged yet, if you haven't been tagged and want to do this, consider yourself tagged. :)

My letter to Best Buy is below.  I am extremely frustrated and disappointed with the store and I will not be shopping there anymore.  Also, check out this site.

To Whom It May Concern:

 

My husband and I have been loyal customers of yours for years.  We relied on Best Buy for all of our electronics needs.  After the service that I have received from the Geek Squad in the Ann Arbor, MI store, we will be canceling our store credit cards and making all of our future purchases elsewhere.

 

I purchased an HP laptop with a 3-year service plan in May 2005.  The first two years, I was satisfied with my experience.  I needed a new battery and a new power cord and those were sent to me with no hassle.  Then in April 2007, my computer began acting up.  It just randomly shut off and got so bad that I couldn’t even keep it on long enough to do anything.  I am a law student and rely on my laptop for everything, including my final exams.  I ended up deciding to send in my laptop and borrow another one for the rest of that school year.  I received my computer with a new motherboard 3 weeks later.  At the time, the problem appeared to be solved and I was satisfied with the service I received.

 

Because I had always been satisfied with Best Buy/Geek Squad in the past, I was surprised by the poor treatment I received this spring.  In February 2008, my computer started randomly shutting off again.  I decided to fix the problem early so that I could have it back for finals this year.  I brought it to Best Buy in March and they sent it out.  The hard drive and the fan were replaced.  I received a call the next Saturday saying that my computer was ready and I should bring in my system restore disks.  I was told it would take a few hours and then I would get my computer back.  I brought the disks in on Saturday afternoon hoping to have it ready later that evening.  Sunday was Easter, so the store was closed.  On Monday, I received an automated call saying my laptop was ready to pick up.  I drove out there and was told that it actually wasn’t ready.  I heard nothing the rest of that day nor did I hear anything on Tuesday.  I attempted to call multiple times and every time the phone just continued to ring – no answer and no place to leave a message.

 

Finally, on Wednesday, I received a call saying I could pick up my computer.  I went in and attempted to get some answers about what had been wrong on my computer.  Replacing a hard drive is not the easiest thing to deal with, so I wanted to know why it had to be replaced.  The best answer I got was, “hard drives break sometimes.”  I decided the person I was speaking with was not competent to argue with so I just left with my computer.

 

I was frustrated at that point, but it does not even compare to how I feel now.  A few weeks after I got my computer back, the same problem began occurring.  Apparently the new hard drive and all its hassle did not solve the problem - just as I had suspected.  All I want in life right now is to graduate law school and Best Buy has not made this easy.  Even though I brought my computer in months before exams, I am still forced to borrow another computer because I can’t trust that mine will not shut off in the middle of a test. 

My main concern is that my service plan ends on May 16 and I am worried that this problem will never be resolved.  I went in to Best Buy to try to get something in writing saying that this problem would be fixed no matter what because I attempted to address it in March, but of course, no help from the Geek Squad in Ann Arbor.  I am moving soon and I will send it in to the Best Buy in Port Richey, FL.  I am hoping that I get better treatment there but my faith in Best Buy is nonexistent at this point.  I do expect that this problem will somehow be resolved and I will continue to fight for it.  I have now had to take my final exams on a strange computer two years in a row and I am hoping that I can actually use mine when I sit for the Florida Bar Exam.

 

I just wanted to let you know that you have lost a once-loyal customer.  I will also be telling everyone I know not to shop there anymore.

Two weeks from today I graduate!  I'm very excited, but it is making this last month or so extremely busy.  So that is why I have not been on here or RBC much.  At least I had my paper to fall back on to keep posting here, but now I have nothing.  Just thought you all would like to know where I've been.

This is the last in this series of post.  Thank you all for reading it and for all of the fantastic comments.  I'm glad I was able to share this with you (makes me feel like I did more than just write a paper for a class).

Books can be dangerous.  The best ones should

be labeled "This could change your life." 

~ Helen Exley ~

            The fact that people are so insistent about banning books says a lot about the power of a few words on some bound pages.  Censorship has existed for many years as a way to keep out dangerous ideas.  Books have the ability to introduce people to new ideas and the power to change how we act.  Those in power often maintain that power by attempting to control what those not in power know and read.  Why don’t we want children learning about people who question authority?  Isn’t it ironic that we teach them about the Revolutionary War but cringe to see them reading The Giver?  I am a strong believer in the freedom of speech and ideas.  I think that all of the ideas should be on the table so that we can be informed when we choose how to live our lives and run our governments.  Books educate and persuade the uninformed or undecided.  The power that books have is amazing. 

To me, this fact alone makes books a good thing and a necessity to living the good life.  We do not have to reinvent the wheel each time we do something.  Others have laid a foundation for us in writing and we can use that foundation to further develop thoughts and theories.  Each generation can take it a little further.  Reading a book can be the thing that changes our lives and inspires us to act in a new way.  With each new book, we gain more knowledge and make smarter choices.

I understand why people ban books.  Books are powerful.  They are full of information and persuasion.  Banned books usually challenge the status quo.  This is what makes them so important.  Not every book has this level of knowledge and influence within its pages, but for those that do, it is so important to make sure it survives.  Social changes begin with ideas and books are the vessels that carry these ideas to others.

I'm looking in on the good life I might be doomed never to find.

~The Shins~

            That line comes from one of my favorite songs, but it wasn’t until I started writing this paper that I really thought much of it.  Books might simply be part of the good life because they can achieve what we cannot.  We may not ever attain the good life.  We may not even have the ability to do so.  But we can find a piece of it by picking up a great book.  In the previous pages, I have tried to explain why I love reading.  By doing this, I hope I have illustrated how and why books are part of the good life.  There may not be one reason or one theory that makes books part of a good life, but maybe all of these little things together can show their importance to our lives.  I wholeheartedly believe that encouraging reading and cultivating a future full of readers is necessary to the promotion of the good life.